Fourth-Generation Stone Industry Leader to Kick Off 2026 Education Series in New Mexico
Tony Malisani, a fourth-generation stone industry professional with nearly 20 years of educational speaking experience, will headline the first Stone Industry Education (SIE) Event of 2026 on Thursday, February 12th in Albuquerque, NM. The daylong seminar will focus on best practices for stone fabricators, covering topics including sealers for quartzite, adhesive selection for different stone types, polishing techniques and silicosis prevention.
"This is going to be an all-encompassing, basically, how do you do the things that you need to do, and is there a better way to do it," said Malisani. "Kind of a best practices, but more like a guided best practices type of topic."
Malisani said silicosis will be a major focus of the event, addressing the respiratory disease that has become a pressing concern across the stone fabrication industry. "What kind of controls can we put in place? What are the things that we need to be doing as far as our human resources, testing, things like that," said Malisani. "We'll talk about things that I've seen around the country, and the things that we do at our company."
Malisani runs a finish masonry company that handles ceramic tile, natural stone, terrazzo, countertops, monuments and exterior and interior cladding. The business was started by his grandfather, who emigrated from Italy, and now includes Malisani's son as the fifth generation. "It’s a small state -- not a lot of people -- so you have got to stay busy," he said.
His motivation for nearly two decades of industry education stems from watching other trades decline due to lack of proper training. "I've seen the effects of an unregulated, uneducated group of people taking over an industry," said Malisani. "The ceramic tile, the advent of easier, quicker, faster methods that didn't last. I don't think that the results of that from the ‘70s were a great experience in the ‘80s."
The evening before the main event will feature a continuing education session worth one CEU credit. The presentation will compare natural stone with man-made products and include a facility tour.
"I think it's a great opportunity for design professionals to learn more about not just natural stone, but what are the differences," said Malisani. "Because you get that question all the time, especially with this confusion now with porcelain, quartzite, what's what, how does it work, how does it function."
The CEU session aims to help architects and designers make better material selections for their projects. "I always say, stone is always the answer, it's just what application," said Malisani.
The event draws fabricators from New Mexico and surrounding states. Registration is available at stoneindustryeducation.com.
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